Bluetooth turntable perfect for vinyl lovers and newcomers alike

Combining a pre-calibrated and painless turntable design with the ability to output via Bluetooth, Sony may have produced the ultimate piece of vinyl newcomer's gear at the beginner-friendly price of $299. At the same time, the PS-LX310BT is one of the nicest and most affordable fully-automatic turntables with a built-in phono stage you'll find, which will make it attractive even to more seasoned listeners.

This is a slick-looking unit with the minimal aesthetic of a serious audio component, but as you might expect at this price it's mostly made of plastic. To Sony's great credit the tone-arm and platter are actually aluminium, which is unusual on the cheaper end and instils some confidence in the machine's stability. It looks great on its own, but unless you live in a dust-free zone you're probably going to want to attach the included cover as well.

Simply take the PS-LX310BT out of the box and plug it into power and it's ready to go.

There's no fiddling or calibrating to be done with the stylus or tone-arm, no installing or weighing or aligning outside of attaching the platter and drive belt to the main unit, but on the downside there's little scope for modifying the system by adding your own stylus down the line. This turntable is designed purely for plugging and playing, meaning anyone can put it together, but at the same time the number of options on offer is impressive.

There's a set of hard-wired stereo RCA cables that can go into the line-in on any modern receiver, but at the flick of a switch you get phono output for connecting to an integrated or dedicated amp. There's even a USB port for ripping your vinyl collection to a computer. The tone-arm is fully automatic, lowering gently onto the record and returning to its rest once the side's done.

A simple dial sets the speed to 33⅓ or 45rpm, and another to 7- or 12-inch records. There's also a button that raises the stylus to pause the music or let you cue the stylus manually if you'd like, and an adapter for those singles with the big holes that has its own secure storage space. In short, this unit will play any record you've got lying around or can buy at the store, on any audio system.

Of course many modern speakers, headphones or compact home theatre systems (i.e. soundbars) are built for wireless play and don't necessarily take a line-in connection. Or, even if they do, maybe your space isn't set up to have a turntable at an easily wireable distance. That's where this unit's Bluetooth connection comes in.

Sony has made things as easy as possible here. The turntable can remember up to eight devices. Once you've registered your speakers or headphones (which is a simple one-time process), you just turn one on and press "start" on the turntable. Bluetooth connects, the tone arm descends and music plays wirelessly. It's great.

The PS-LX310BT is a simple but good-looking turntable.

In terms of sound quality the PS-LX310BT sounds very good via Bluetooth. Some detail is lost, but it isn't noisy or tinny. The turntable supports AptX, so make sure you're streamign to a compatible speaker or headphones for the best quality. Of course it sounds a bit better via line-in, and paired with a dedicated amplifier and good speakers it sounds much better than its sub-$300 price would have you believe.

There's a gain switch for use with line-in or Bluetooth play that can help with murmuring or hissing on certain recordings, but overall I found simply placing a disc on the mat and hitting the button produced sound more than nice enough for casual listening with friends. The one thing to take into account is that your speakers or headphones need to have volume controls, because the turntable does not.

With its generous range of features and solid construction, the PS-LX310BT is a fun and highly user-friendly piece of kit with great sound that you can put just about anywhere in your home without worrying about cabling. And, if you decide to go all-in on vinyl and upgrade your audio gear, it's capable enough that you won't need to buy a new turntable right away.